Sassuolo entertain AC Milan in final match of Serie A 2021-22 at Stadio Mapei - Citta del Tricolore on Sunday, May 22. The match will kick off at 9:30 PM IST (Indian Standard Time).

Milan’s only confirmed absentee for the upcoming league game will be Danish defender Simon Kjaer, who is out for the season with a cruciate ligament rupture in his left knee.

Hosts Sassuolo, on the other hand, have four players on the treatment table - Pedro Obiang, Abdou Harroui, Filippo Romagna and Jeremy Toljan.

Sassuolo vs AC Milan odds for Serie A 2021-22

Sassuolo: 6.00

AC Milan: 1.47

Draw: 4.90

Click here to check football betting odds.

Note: Odds are subject to change.

Sassuolo vs AC Milan recent form

AC Milan haven’t lost a league tie since the 1-2 loss to Spezia in January and are a win away from clinching their first Scudetto since 2011. The Rossoneri are coming off a 2-0 win over Atalanta, with goals from Rafael Leão and Theo Hernandez.

Sassuolo, meanwhile, ended their four-match winless run by securing a 3-1 win at Bologna. A brace from Gianluca Scamacca and Domenico Berardi propelled the Neroverdi to 11th place on the Serie A standings.

Sassuolo: W, D, L, L, L

AC Milan: W, W, W, W, L

Sassuolo vs AC Milan head-to-head

AC Milan hold the better head-to-head record against Sassuolo, winning 10 matches in 18 clashes across all competitions. Sassuolo, in comparison, have bagged six wins.

The Rossoneri are on a two-game winning run against the Neroverdi and will be looking to add a third. AC Milan haven’t beaten Sassuolo in three successive meetings across all competitions since their first meeting in 2014.

Sassuolo vs AC Milan prediction and tips for Serie A 2021-22

AC Milan are the favourites to win this fixture. The current Serie A leaders know a win will earn them the league title and they have the firepower to get the better of Sassuolo.

Featured photo: AFP / ISABELLA BONOTTO

Brazil great Romario once said, �?/span>Strikers are egotists, selfish. We have to be.�?This particular utterance may sound bumptious to many, yet the fact remains that these men are solely judged on the statistics they deliver.

European football, this season, was profoundly impacted by the momentous consequences of the global pandemic but it managed to deliver what was promised. For once, the world witnessed someone other than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo topping the goal-scoring chart, with Lazio’s Ciro Immobile pipping the duo by bagging 36 league goals.

In that context, a certain Robert Lewandowski was at his lethal best for the record Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich. We have had as many as 11 players who crossed the 20-goal mark across the English Premier League, the Italian Serie A, the Spanish La Liga and the German Bundesliga. So, to put things in perspective, and figure out who has been at the deadliest from the lot, we compare all these men across several facets like conversion rate and average shots per game to name a few to obtain a crystallised picture in front of us.

Note: Only the players to score 20 or more league goals are taken into account.

Only league appearances are considered, not the European figures.

Players from the French Ligue 1 have been excluded, given that the league ended prematurely.

Conversion rate

This particular attribute distinguishes how deadly a striker can be with his attempts. It is often said that the best strikers are those who can capitalise on the situations when expectations are least. 

Speaking in that context, a certain Jamie Vardy of Leicester City tops the chart with a conversion rate of 30.26. Having notched 23 goals and five assists in the 2019/20 Premier League season, the England forward attempted a total of 70 shots, with 43 of them being on target.

Up next comes a surprising entrant; Sassuolo’s Francesco Caputo who scored 21 and assisted a further seven. The 33-year-old had a mere 58 attempts, least amongst those who have scored at least 12 goals in the Serie A season but was on target on 35 occasions, completing his tenure with a conversion rate of 30.

Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski made heads spin with a return of 34 goals and four assists. In a total of 2762 minutes played in the league, the Polish striker attempted a total of 114 shots (64 on target), maintaining a healthy rate of 25.76. 

Lazio’s Ciro Immobile stole the limelight with an exhilarating tally of 36 goals and nine assists. Having had 71 shots on target from an attempted 119, the Italian marksman finished with a rate of 25.71.

Inter’s Romelu Lukaku had a fantastic season under Antonio Conte, who also tried signing the big Belgian during his time at Chelsea. And now that the pair are working together, the former Manchester United striker finished with a figure of 23 goals and two assists, converting his 75 attempts at a rate of 24.47.

You might be wondering where the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are in the list. Well, rightly so, but brace yourself for an utter disappointment as the duo finishes on the bottom of the table. 

Messi, who had a contribution in 46 league goals (25 goals and 21 assists), found the target on 71 occasions from 115 attempts, while Ronaldo, who bagged 31 goals and five assists, attempted a whopping 142 shots, with 80 being on target. The duo, however, returns a conversion rate of 14.67 (Messi) and 15.58 (Ronaldo).

Player	Goals/assists	Total Shots/On Target	Conversion rate
Jamie Vardy	23/5	71/43	30.26
Francesco Caputo	21/7	58/35	30
Robert Lewandowski	34/4	114/69	25.76
Ciro Immobile	36/9	119/71	25.71
Romelu Lukaku	23/2	75/47	24.47
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang	22/3	70/42	24.44
Danny Ings	22/2	66/38	24.14
Timo Werner	28/8	100/64	23.53
Karim Benzema	21/8	107/60	18.33
Cristiano Ronaldo	31/5	142/80	15.58
Lionel Messi	25/21	115/71	14.67

Meanwhile, those between 20 and 25 are the likes of Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (24.44), Southampton’s Danny Ings (24.14), former RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner (23.53). Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema, for his part, carried a conversion rate of 18.33.

Minutes per goal

Robert Lewandowski and Ciro Immobile once again enter the top half of the tally, having had minutes-per-goal ratios of 81 and 88 respectively in their leagues. The duo put together, has scored a whopping 70 goals and 13 assists between them, which is, with all due respect, more than what Watford and Norwich combined to score (62) in the 2019/20 Premier League season. Deleterious with the ball at their feet, the pair averaged 4.5 and 3.8 shots respectively per game. 

While both Messi and Ronaldo have been at the bottom in terms of conversion, their average of shots per game shows why they are considered as two of the best footballers of the current generation. The Portuguese, who found the back of the net every 94 minutes, took 6.3 shots per game in Serie A, most by any player in the list. The Barcelona frontman, on the other hand, comes second with 4.8 with a figure of 115 minutes per goal.

Player	Minutes per goal	Shots per game
Robert Lewandowski	81	4.5
Ciro Immobile	88	3.8
Cristiano Ronaldo	94	6.3
Timo Werner	100	3.6
Lionel Messi	115	4.8
Danny Ings	128	2.4
Romelu Lukaku	130	2.8
Jamie Vardy	132	2.5
Francesco Caputo	140	2
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang	143	2.6
Karim Benzema	150	3.4

As shown in the list, Karim Benzema, who carried Real Madrid on several occasions en route to winning the La Liga title, took 150 minutes to score a goal. A figure that lowly, however, is compensated by 3.4 shots per game.

And perhaps to no one's surprise, Chelsea’s newest acquisition Timo Werner sits fourth with a figure of 100 minutes per goal. His average of 3.6 shots per game, though, is one of the best in the tally. 

Jamie Vardy and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang acquire the bottom spots, which well and truly resonates how fiery the English Premier League can be.

Shots from different areas

Strikers are judged on how efficient they are when not on the ball. Their clever movement of getting into the scoring position is exactly what makes them noxious, and this particular area we are about to scout explore shows how effective these 11 players have been from different parts of the field, like scoring from outside the box, around the penalty area and from the six-yard box.

Starting off with the European golden boot winner, Ciro Immobile, the Lazio striker has bagged a solitary goal from outside the box from 27 attempts. From around the penalty area though, he has attempted a whopping 112 shots (second-best in the list), converting 34 of them, followed by one from the six-yard box.

There are only two players - Karim Benzema and Francesco Caputo - who failed to score a goal from outside of the box. Benzema’s goal against Real Valladolid in August 2019 though came right from the edge of the box, and thus it is quite debatable.

Player	Shots from outside of box/goals	Conversion rate from outside of box	Shots from penalty area/goals	Shots from six-yard box/goals	Conversion rate from inside box	Penalty Goals
Ciro Immobile	27/1	16.67	112/34	3/1	55.56	14
Cristiano Ronaldo	81/2	11.76	115/25	12/4	49.15	11
Romelu Lukaku	15/1	25	73/18	11/4	51.16	6
Francesco Caputo	3/0	0	65/16	5/5	58.33	2
Robert Lewandowski	20/1	20	104/29	14/4	55.93	5
Timo Werner	18/3	20	99/22	6/3	46.55	3
Lionel Messi	84/9	26.92	66/14	9/2	37.5	5
Karim Benzema	25/0	0	86/19	13/2	37.93	5
Jamie Vardy	9/1	50	70/17	10/5	55	4
Danny Ings	15/4	60	61/11	17/7	54.55	1
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang	24/2	25	60/18	9/2	55.26	2

However, the highest amount of goals from outside, as a majority of us can expect, has come from Lionel Messi, who notched nine from a whopping 84 attempts.

Robert Lewandowski, being a poacher, has found the net on 29 occasions from the penalty area in 104 attempts. Meanwhile, the best conversion rate from the six-yard box comes from Caputo, who has put the ball into the net in all of his five attempts.

Versatility

All of these 11 players have shown extreme athleticism, and that is duly illustrated by the fact that how potent they have been even with their weaker foot or even their strong presence in the air. In this distinction, we will look at how many shots each player has taken from their right foot, left foot and with their head, before they found the net.

Considering the ability to score with the weaker foot, Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy has scored nine, while Southampton’s Danny Ings and Sassuolo’s Francesco Caputo have scored eight. The likes of Lionel Messi and Romelu Lukaku are the only left-footed attackers in the list, and the duo has scored two and four goals respectively from their weaker right foot.

As far as headers are concerned, Robert Lewandowski has notched eight goals by rising high, while Timo Werner and Messi are the only forwards who failed to score a headed goal in the 2019/20 league season.

Player	Right foot shots/goals	Left foot shots/goals	Headed attempts/goals
Lewandowski	73/23	24/3	39/8
Werner	92/23	21/5	10/0
Francesco Caputo	35/11	29/8	9/2
Cristiano Ronaldo	126/24	51/5	31/2
Ciro Immobile	95/28	28/6	19/2
Romelu Lukaku	20/4	58/15	20/4
Jamie Vardy	34/11	37/9	18/3
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang	67/16	17/3	9/3
Danny Ings	55/13	21/8	17/1
Karim Benzema	69/14	30/4	24/2
Lionel Messi	12/2	142/23	5/0

And for the second time running, both Ronaldo and Messi have oozed class by having 126 and 142 attempts respectively with their stronger foot. 

Note: Stats taken from whoscored, BBC, transfermarkt, one-versus-one and understat

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Ander Gillenea, Sven Hoppe, Marco Bertorello

Luis Muriel came off the bench to score the only goal as Atalanta beat Bologna 1-0 in a fiery Serie A clash on Tuesday to move back second behind leaders Juventus.

Muriel struck just after an hour as Atalanta extended their unbeaten run to 15 games to move six points behind Juventus, and two ahead of third-placed Inter Milan.

Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic turned back the clock with a double as AC Milan beat 10-man 2-1 Sassuolo to move fifth ahead of Roma and Napoli and into the Europa League berths.

Atalanta had won six successive games since the league resumed after the coronavirus lockdown before drawing 2-2 with Juventus, and were held 1-1 at Verona last time out. 

The Bergamo side have 74 points this season with three games to play, overtaking their previous best haul of 72 during the 2016-17 season.

Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini was banished from the sidelines after a spat with counterpart Sinisa Mihajlovic before the break, with the Bologna boss receiving a yellow card. 

It was the second red card in recent weeks for Gasperini who has been showing signs of frayed nerves before his side meet Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last eight next month. 

"I didn't deserve to be expelled," fumed Gasperini afterwards. "But let's talk about the match. 

"We're looking for consistency on the pitch, then we'll have 12 days later to choose what kind of work to do to prepare for the Champions League."

Bologna, in tenth, battled after their 5-1 defeat against AC Milan last time out with Musa Barrow missing a double chance against his parent side.

Muriel came off the bench after the break and picked up a cross from fellow Colombian Duvan Zapata to score his 18th goal this season and 11th off the bench.

Juventus can seal the title with a win over 16th-placed Udinese, but it depends on Inter Milan, who are eight points behind the champions, failing to beat Fiorentina at the San Siro on Wednesday.

- Milan reward Pioli -

Outside the Champions League places, Stefano Pioli's Milan extended their unbeaten run since the return with the seventh win in nine games.

"I was already seeing the team improve before the lockdown, then we grew a lot," said Pioli, who has been given a two-year contract extension with the club until June 2022.

"We're doing good things, but it is not over yet," added Ibrahimovic.   

"We are still in the running to reach our goal. Fifth place is what we want, but the qualifiers are fine too."

Ibrahimovic nodded in Hakan Calhanoglu's cross after 19 minutes and added a second just before the break.

The 38-year-old, who helped Milan to their last Serie A title back in 2011, savoured scoring more than one goal in a Serie A game for the first time in eight years.

Francesco Caputo had equalised for the hosts from the penalty spot, after a Calhanoglu handball, for his 19th goal this season.

But Sassuolo played the second half a man down after Mehdi Bourabia was sent off for a foul on Ante Rebic, ending their nine-match unbeaten run.

Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma took over the captain's armband after an injury to Alessio Romagnoli as the 21-year-old marked his 200th game for the club.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Miguel Medina

Serie A leaders Juventus continued to stutter towards a ninth straight league title as they threw away a two-goal lead before settling for a thrilling 3-3 draw at Sassuolo on Wednesday.

Juventus are seven points ahead of Atalanta, who thrashed Brescia 6-2 on Tuesday, with five games left to play after their winless run was extended to three matches.

Lazio missed the chance to retake second and cut the gap to Juve to six points with a goalless draw against Udinese and are one point behind Atalanta in third.

"A coach demands continuity and at this moment we don't have it physically and mentally," said Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri.

"We had very good moments that alternated with difficult moments.

"It should also be said that we are facing teams that arrive in great shape, such as Atalanta and Sassuolo. We have to solve the problem of these ups and downs."

Juventus were two goals up within 12 minutes thanks to Brazilian Danilo and Gonzalo Higuain.

But despite the return of captain Giorgio Chiellini, the Turin giants showed signs of weakness in defence again and have now conceded 11 goals in five games.

Sassuolo took advantage, with Filip Djuricic pulling one back for the hosts just before the half-hour mark, before Domenico Berardi curled in a free-kick on 50 minutes and Francesco Caputo blasted in a third four minutes later.

Alex Sandro headed Juventus level with 26 minutes to play, but the defending champions had goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny to thank for securing a point as the Pole pulled off a string of late saves.

Juventus lost 4-2 to AC Milan and needed a 90th-minute Cristiano Ronaldo penalty to snatch a 2-2 draw with Atalanta in their previous two games.

The Turin giants next host Lazio on Monday after Atalanta visit Verona at the weekend looking to cut the gap to four points.

"Now we must not do calculations but only think game by game," added Sarri.

Inter Milan still harbour hopes of a late title push and could jump from fourth to second, six points behind Juve, when they travel to face SPAL on Thursday.

Simone Inzaghi's Lazio, who were only one point adrift when Serie A returned following the coronavirus lockdown, were held by Udinese after three consecutive defeats, as their hopes of a first Scudetto in two decades suffered another blow.

City rivals Roma, in fifth, continued their good form with a 2-1 win over ninth-placed Hellas Verona thanks to a Jordan Veretout penalty and an Edin Dzeko header.

Roma are four points ahead of Napoli and AC Milan.

- Milan close in on Europe  -

AC Milan boosted their Europa League hopes with a 3-1 comeback win over Parma to move level on points with sixth-placed Napoli who were held 1-1 at Bologna.

Stefano Pioli's Milan are unbeaten in seven league games since the resumption.

Goals from Franck Kessie, Alessio Romagnoli and Hakan Calhanoglu saw off 12th-placed Parma who had taken the lead thanks to a Jasmin Kurtic goal just before the break at the San Siro.

Milan sit six points clear of eighth-placed Sassuolo, with seventh likely to be enough for a Europa League spot due to Napoli's Italian Cup triumph.

Napoli coach Gennaro Gattuso said he was worried ahead of the Champions League last-16 second leg against Barcelona after his side let a lead slip against Bologna.

Kostas Manolas' diving header from a Matteo Politano corner put the visitors ahead on just seven minutes.

But in-form Musa Barrow grabbed the equaliser 10 minutes from time for the hosts.

"We have to play to prepare for Barcelona and with performances like this we will not go anywhere," said Gattuso.

Sampdoria moved further away from the relegation zone with Federico Bonazzoli scoring a brace in a 3-0 win over 11th-placed Cagliari.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Marco Bertorello

Cristiano Ronaldo scored two penalties as Juventus snatched a dramatic 2-2 draw against Atalanta on Saturday to take a massive step towards a ninth straight Serie A title.

Lazio's 2-1 loss to Sassuolo earlier in the day gave Atalanta, on an 11-match winning streak heading into the game, the chance to move second and cut the gap to Juve to six points.

But despite trailing twice and being outplayed for long periods, Maurizio Sarri's Juventus moved eight points clear at the top with six matches remaining as Ronaldo took his tally to 28 league goals this season.

"We can't make calculations yet, we can't take our foot off the gas until we are mathematically champions," said Juve captain Leonardo Bonucci.

It was an ultimately frustrating outing for Atalanta who stay third, nine points off the pace, after conceding both spot-kicks for handball.

"What are we meant to do, cut our arms off? You can at most put your arms in front of your body," Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini told DAZN.

"The interpretation of the rule is not the same here as elsewhere. Other countries don't give penalties like that.

"These are the rules here, fine."

Juve started brightly but it did not take long for the visitors to take control and start to dominate possession.

Josip Ilicic fired the first real chance of the game wide, but Atalanta grabbed the lead in the 16th minute, scoring for the 25th consecutive match in all competitions.

Papu Gomez was the creator, wriggling free in midfield before exchanging passes with Duvan Zapata before sliding the ball back for the Colombian to drill home his 15th league goal of the campaign.

The goal made Atalanta the first Serie A club in almost 70 years to have three players score 15 times in a league season, with Zapata joining Ilicic and Luis Muriel in reaching the mark.

Zapata was proving a real nuisance for Juve, with Matthijs de Ligt doing well to block another goalbound effort, before the striker narrowly failed to connect with Timothy Castagne's cross.

Paulo Dybala almost levelled for the hosts against the run of play, but his volley was deflected wide.

The reigning champions were gifted a route back into the game nine minutes after half-time as Marten de Roon was penalised for handling Dybala's cross.

Ronaldo stepped up to score his 27th Serie A goal this term, drawing him within two of Lazio's Ciro Immobile at the top of the goalscoring charts.

Atalanta continued to attack in search of the victory they needed to boost their title hopes, but shortly after substitute Muriel fired a free-kick into the wall, Malinovskiy's low strike flicked the base of the post.

Ronaldo almost put Juve in front with 10 minutes to play, but visiting goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini made an excellent save to keep out the Portuguese star's half-volley.

Malinovskiy did put Atalanta back into the lead in the 81st minute, as Muriel picked out his fellow sub to hammer a fierce shot past Wojciech Szczesny.

But Atalanta shot themselves in the foot again in the 90th minute, as Ronaldo fired in his second spot-kick after Muriel was penalised for handball.

- Lazio stumble again -

Earlier on Saturday, Lazio's title dream suffered yet another setback as Francesco Caputo's injury-time header grabbed Sassuolo a late victory at the Stadio Olimpico.

The capital club sit eight points adrift of Juve in their tilt at a first league title since 2000, but have suffered three straight defeats.

"Talking about the Scudetto was always a bit of a stretch and we have to look reality in the face," coach Simone Inzaghi told Sky Sport Italia.

"That doesn't mean we will give up. Next season, in the Champions League, we'll be able to rotate the squad more."

Luis Alberto gave Lazio a first-half lead, but that was their only shot on target in the match as Sassuolo fought back through goals from Giacomo Raspadori, on his full league debut, and Caputo.

Roma strengthened their grip on a Europa League slot with a comfortable 3-0 win at relegation-threatened Brescia.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Marco Bertorello